My Darling Dreadful Thing

A Novel

De: Johanna van Veen

Narrado por: Jess Nesling

Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror of 2024

Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

"A Sapphic seance of preternatural proportions, My Darling Dreadful Thing summons a stunning new literary voice to be reckoned with. Johanna van Veen reaches beyond the veil to conjure up a gothic shocker like no other."—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

©2024 Johanna van Veen (P)2024 Tantor

All the Gothic Goodness!

This novel is absolutely saturated with gothic goodness, and for the most part it is an enjoyable read for fans of the genre. As is the case with too many horror novels, though, the ending was lackluster. The story is a slow burn, creating the expectation that something intriguing will ultimately happen to horrify or, at least, unnerve the reader. No such luck, though, and the final chapters of this books are simply dull, the landing botched. That said, everything else about this novel is absolutely on point, so I'm trying not to be too mad. The decaying estate surrounded by a treacherous bog mirroring the mental decay of its inhabitants...all great stuff. Fans of Turn of the Screw will delight in this story, which draws heavily from that classic. In addition, everything about this novel was made better by the exceptional narration of Jess Nesling.

Wonderful!

The narrator is perfect. The story is fascinating, haunting, and surprisingly sweet. I love it! Definitely will revisit come next Halloween.

In my opinion, wasn't the worst.

The story was pretty slow to start but was interesting enough to keep my attention long enough to finish it. It was fairly predictable, I feel the narrator did a decent job, it was cartoony or too animated at times, I felt. But overall it was not too bad. Not a bad book to pass the time with.

Sapphic ghost

Beautiful, heartbreaking and haunting. Engrossed throughout the story, beautiful depictions of love, grief, death and what it means to live.

Outstanding Writing

I absolutely loved this gothic queer romance. The plot is so easy to get sucked into and the flawed and morally gray characters are absolutely unforgettable.

haunted...?

the thoughts expressed are solely the thoughts of the author. any attempt to reprint or cancel the author will be uncalled for
written like an attempt of Emily Brontë to complete a Poe novel. the story was enjoyable but also felt from two separate decades. written after the events in the story, it also suffered from 'doctor notes" the broke the flow of the story

A Rare Work of True Art

It is rare to find truly skilled contemporary writers. Those who can craft a genuinely thrilling story in genuinely beautiful language. Johanna Van Veen is one such rare artist. And this book is and will remain amongst my short list of all time favorites. This, coming from an avid reader of the all time greats. AND a particular fan of the gothic story, with a highly discerning and critical taste. My Darling Dreasful Thing is a true gothic story. Thank you Ms Van Veen!

Holds Out Until the Last Minute

Empathetic and respectful. An interesting statement on mental health. Kept my attention the entire time. I didn’t want to miss anything

I took a chance on something outside my wheelhouse and was incredibly surprised!!!!

Details both introspective and pleasantly articulated, without the overbearing nuances some authors waste pages on, pulled me into this story immediately. The author didn't hesitate, through long winded narratives, to deliver the odd circumstances of the main character right away, quickly giving her immediate depth. Changes in perspective with forward jumping glimpses into consequence offered another layer toward the story's climax. I usually delve into the realms of science fiction or fantasy with a splash of horror every now and then, so this wasn't precisely outside my purview but I was surprised how quickly I became engrossed in this book. I very highly recommend "My Darling Dreadful Thing" to anyone looking for a good read and/or listen!

Bleak and Heartwarming

The narrator did a lovely job. The story was excellent. I enjoyed very much. Would recommend